Faithfulness—Don’t Lead Homes Without It

There was a commercial on TV years ago promoting the American Express credit card. It showed people using it all over the world to make purchases. The final phrase of the advertisement was this sentence: American Express—don’t leave home without it.” That’s how the title of this message came to be; except this message is true. Faithfulness—don’t lead homes without it.

Faithfulness is a commodity that is becoming increasingly rare these days. In marriages, if a couple makes it 20 years or more, it is considered a landmark, not the norm. If a person has made that choice to be faithful to their spouse, they are often labeled narrow-minded in their view of life.

If an employee works hard and diligently for his/her employer, without finding fault with the company or making demands that are excessive, that person is considered naive.

Even in the sports world, there are very few athletes who play in absolute faithfulness to their original ball team. They have agents whose eyes are scanning the horizons looking for that team which will increase their player’s net worth. It seems that the days of knowing that Ernie Banks belong to the Chicago Cubs; Sandy Koufax belonged to the Los Angeles Dodgers; Gale Sayers belonged to the Chicago Bears; Lou Brock belonged to the St. Louis Cardinals; that is a thing of the past.

In the spiritual world, when an individual is called into the family of God and becomes a Christian, we are called upon to be absolutely faithful. Though all of us are not called upon to be pastors or other church leaders, we are all called upon to proclaim the Gospel to a lost and dying world. We are also all called upon to live according to the commands of God’s Word.

Today’s message centers around a very concerning situation. From reading through chapter 23, we are led to understand that one of the major reasons judgment had to come, was that the leadership of the nation had become absolutely corrupt. You see, when a group of people are corrupt, one would expect the leadership of those people to attempt to bring them back. However, when the very people who have been called by God to live differently and lead their people according to God’s commands, yet they are actually against God, then there appears to be no hope. This applies to the nation of Judah; and I believe the principals apply to today.

As Christians, we must be faithful to God’s Word.

Today, we’ll be looking together at three reasons why we must be faithful. First, we must be faithful even without godly leaders.

Secondly, we find that we must be faithful by being true to God’s Word.

Finally, we will see that we must be faithful by being people of the Word.

We Must Be Faithful Even Without Godly Leaders. - 23.1-8

These first eight verses are quite an attack upon the spiritual leaders of the nation of Babylon. Jeremiah 23:1–2 ““Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the Lord.”

These were the people who were to be people of the Word. These were the leaders who were to bring the people back to the right paths if they went astray. These were the leaders who were called by God to teach the people how to be godly in their living.

Listen to some of the strong descriptions directed toward those spiritual leaders. They were “destroying and scattering [God’s] sheep.” That doesn’t sound at all like a caring or loving shepherd; just letting the sheep do as they please. There is nothing compassionate about allowing sheep to choose their own way.

Yet, even less caring is the fact that these spiritual leaders, or shepherds, actually led the way in promoting wrong, sinful living. The leaders actually had “driving them away,” while condoning their sin and wrong theological thinking.

Now look at Jeremiah 23:3–6 ““Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. “I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. “In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’”

Here, God was giving a promise of the coming of Jesus Christ. He stated that there would be a remnant that would remain true to godliness. They are the ones who will be brought back. Even more important is the fact, that from the line of David will come a king who will do exactly what God wants.

Jesus Christ was to be the fulfillment of this and will one day be the fulfillment of this when He sets up His rule on the earth when He comes again.

What an encouragement! Even when the spiritual leadership had gone completely corrupt, there was the promise of spiritual leadership who is pure and righteous, Jesus Christ.

Even when the spiritual leadership had driven the people away from God, causing them to go into captivity, there was the promise of those who were striving to walk in righteousness that they will be brought back and genuinely cared for in the person of the Great Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ.

Church, and in particular, parents, there is hope even for us today. When the world seems to be falling down like shrapnel all around us, if we keep God’s Word at the forefront, there will be a godly remnant that will be taken care of by our Lord. Jesus Christ has promised us that while we exist on this planet, in this day and age, troubles are going to come at us right and left. However, Jesus has also promised us that there is coming a day when we and all of creation will see that He has overcome the world. We win because He has won.

We Must Be Faithful By Being True to God’s Word. - 23.9-17, 30-39

Lest the spiritual leaders who dealt in falsehood thought they had any hope, God spells it out quite clearly in these verses.

Jeremiah seems to be truly grieved because of those who claimed to speak in God’s Name, were actually liars. According to verses 10, 11, and 13, the prophets who were lying and not living for the Lord were described by these phrases. “Their course also is evil and their might is not right.” “Both prophet and priest are polluted . . .” They are even described as “an offensive thing.” Why would God say this? The answer is in the following sentence: “They prophesied by Baal and led My people Israel astray.”

Jeremiah goes on by showing that they are “committing [of] adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers.” We read in verses 30 -31 that they plagiarize; they’re not even creative. “Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who steal My words from each other. “Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who use their tongues and declare, ‘The Lord declares.’”

Jeremiah 23:34–36 ““Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The oracle of the Lord,’ I will bring punishment upon that man and his household. “Thus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or, ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ “For you will no longer remember the oracle of the Lord, because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God.” They even went so far as to deceive people by suggesting that we all have different interpretations. My friends, that is simply a cover-up for those who won’t deal with Scripture on a fundamental, literal manner. We hear the same thing promoted today by some.

The condemnation goes much more deeply according to Jeremiah 23.15b. Jeremiah is simply sharing God’s commentary on their actions. Yes, the people are responsible for their own actions. However, the prophets and priests are also going to be held even more accountable, because they are the ones who taught evil. “For from the prophets of Jerusalem pollution has gone forth into all the land.’ ”

I believe there is an underlying problem that Jeremiah points out that can affect any one of us even today. Look at Jeremiah 23:18 ““But who has stood in the council of the Lord, That he should see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and listened?”

Unless we listen to God’s Word, we cannot know how to live. Unless we spend time truly hearing God’s Word, hearing with the intent to obey, we will follow ungodliness. That means we must spend time reading the Bible. We must do more than just casually glance over its pages. We must study it. Even if you’re only able to study one verse per day, that is better for you than simply trying to gulp down large chunks of Scripture at a time just to say you’ve read the Bible. Allow the Bible to have a life-changing impact on your life. Do not remain numb to God’s transforming, renewing work in your life.

People can be very religious, yet have no spiritual vitality. People can perform like a spiritual circus troupe and still be in a spiritual coma. We could say all the right words, yet be on a path completely different than what our Lord wants.

In our homes and community, more is taught by what is lived out, that what is simply said.

We Must Be Faithful By Being People of the Word. - 20.28-29

It seems to boil down to these verses. Listen as I read Jeremiah 23:28–29 ““The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the Lord. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”

There is nothing more powerful than God’s Word. There is nothing more transforming in a person’s life than when the Spirit of God takes the Bible, His Word, and causes it to impact a person’s life.

Our opinions mean nothing. The question we should all be asking is “What does the Bible say?” Straw cannot produce anything. Seed is what produces the plant. God’s Word is the seed. Anything man might say is just straw, if it is without God’s Word.

God’s Word can burn right through our pile of pride and works. God’s Word can break apart the hardest of hearts. God’s Word can break through or burn through that tough coating that won’t let anybody through to change and to give hope.

God’s Word is what keeps the Christian from following false leaders. God’s Word is what keeps the Christian from practicing sin. God’s Word is what causes a Christian to fall in love more and more with our Savior. God’s Word is what provides answers to questions that sometimes you and I don’t know how or what to ask. God’s Word gives comfort that the best writers and poets cannot provide. God’s Word is able to wrap itself around our hearts giving encouragement, love, joy, and hope.

In our homes and communities, we must present God’s Word as the source of answers. God’s Word is the guideline for life. Take advantage of every teachable moment to present the treasures of God’s Word to your families and friends.

We need to be a people who will not assume that the answers can be found on television, computers, the internet, schools, government, or friends. We must point them to the Bible and the only One, Jesus Christ, Who can provide the real answers.

Conclusion

Church, we cannot pretend that we don’t need God’s Word all the time. We cannot allow ourselves the delusion that we should be quiet about what the Bible teaches. We must be faithful in having God’s Word be a part of everything we do.

There is a formula that one of my professors shared about how I should look at the Bible, at the time I was preparing to obey God’s call to full-time ministry. Let me share it with you.

Study it through.

Pray it in.

Live it out.

Pass it on.

Faithfulness—we can’t lead homes successfully without it. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must be faithful to God’s Word.